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Harald Karstark
Harald Karstark is a recurring character in the sixth season. He is played by Paul Rattray.Watchers on the Wall - A new Karstark cast for Game of Thrones season 6 After the execution of Lord Rickard Karstark by Robb Stark, Harald is the new head of House Karstark and Lord of Karhold. He is described as ruthless and calculating. Biography Background Season 6 Appearances Family tree In the books In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, there is no "Harald Karstark" - the TV character is apparently a condensation of different Karstark characters from the books. In the novels, Lord Rickard Karstark had three sons: his eldest son and heir Harrion was captured after the Battle of Duskendale, while his other two sons Torrhen and Eddard were killed in the war. Rickard also has a daughter named Alys. The TV series changed this around somewhat: instead of Torrhen and Eddard dying, it is stated - by name - that "Harrion" and "Torrhen" died, and no mention is made of Eddard Karstark - possibly to avoid the confusion of introducing another character named "Eddard" after Eddard Stark (though George R.R. Martin's entire point in reusing character names is because he thought it was contrived that there would be no repeated first names in an entire continent). In the novels, after Robb Stark executes Rickard Karstark, because Harrion remains a prisoner of the Lannisters, Rickard's uncle Arnolf Karstark becomes the new acting head of he family. After the Red Wedding, Arnolf is more willing to tolerate Bolton/Lannister rule over the North than many other Houses, because he owes his new position to them (as Harrion remains in Lannister custody). after Rickard Karstark is executed the Karstark forces abandon Robb Stark and ride back to the North, where they are led by Rickard's uncle Arnolf Karstark. Casting reports have confirmed that a "Lord Karstark" will appear in Season 6, but haven't confirmed his first name yet - he may have been condensed with other characters. This article is titled "Arnolf Karstark" as a placeholder until more information is available. Arnolf is introduced in the fifth novel. He is not a lord but the castellan of Karhold. He is described as thin and twisted, one of his shoulders is much higher than the other. His eyes are grey and greedy, his teeth yellow, his forked beard a tangle of snow and silver. Only a few wisps of white hair still cling to his spotted skull. He wears a cloak of grey wool trimmed with black sable and fastened at the shoulder with a starburst wrought in beaten silver. In the novels, Harrion remains a prisoner of the Lannisters in the south, while Rickard's uncle Arnolf comes to power back at Karhold. He becomes fairly important in the politics of the Northern storyline, because the Karstarks are the only Northern House (besides the Boltons) whose military strength is relatively intact, having been absent from the Red Wedding. See also * (MAJOR spoilers from the books) References de:Harald Karstark Category:Characters Category:Recurring Characters Category:Season 6 Characters Category:Status: Alive Category:Lords Category:Characters from the North Category:Nobility Category:House Karstark